Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2017 i The English Home

Addicted to fabric, colour and interiors? I find that readers of The English Home invariably are. Like me, I suspect many of you rarely switch off your visual antennae and are constantly soaking up design inspiration, even subliminally. As such, this issue – with its focus on the latest fabric and wallpaper collections – should probably come with a health warning as it is likely to cause pulses to quicken. And because spring is often a key time for redecoration, inside you will also find insights on creating a dream scheme for your bathroom, ideas for children’s rooms to set imaginations alight, and a look at the way in which made-to-measure rugs are little less than art for your floors. If your creative mind craves daily focus, our feature on…

PURSUITS Easter fun With Easter fast approaching, there is no better time to cook up a storm and fill the house with delicious aromas. For a twist on traditional hot cross buns, instead of currants and candied peel why not stir in figs and fudge, dried cranberries, or orange zest and dark chocolate? Slather with salted butter to temper any over-sweetness. Home-made chocolate eggs this Easter will delight loved ones, too; Lakeland has everything needed. Egg hunts will be staged across the country, including at historic homes and gardens, making visits all the more enticing. Borde Hill Garden in Sussex and Hever Castle in Kent will host an Easter bunny trail; real-life Easter bunnies will delight at Holkham House in Norfolk, whilst on the South Downs, decorated hard-boiled eggs will…

Growing up, Charlotte Bennett was encouraged by her mother to ‘get creative’ and decorate her bedroom just as she liked. This freedom to experiment served her well when she and her husband Robin faced the challenge of converting, decorating and furnishing a 6,000 square-foot, Grade II listed former shire-horse stud farm in Cheshire. “It took a certain amount of vision and confidence to take this huge blank canvas and turn it into a family home,” Charlotte says. The amount of work needed on the property was such that, having bought it in January 2012, the couple and their two children – Sienna, five, and James, three – were only able to move in in June 2015. Fortunately, Robin is a property developer with an abundance of experience of renovating and…

Advances in digital technology have opened up an abundance of possibilities when it comes to printing. Now, interiors can be transformed into unique immersive experiences with rravishing reproductions of artworks which h have been digitally remastered and scaled onto paper panels for walls. Surface View is at the forefront of this vogue with an ever-expanding library of imagery from historic textiles to sumptuous Old Masters, sourced and cleared for copyright thanks to collaborative relationships with august institutions such as the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum and the V&A. Wall mural of Hove Beach (1824) by John Constable, made to measure from £65 per square metre…

The children’s novelist Jerry Spinelli wrote that “every child’s bedroom is as important as a telescope orbiting the planet Earth, or a philosopher’s study”. It is, after all, the very first canvas they have upon which to express and reflect themselves. And since children typically have just one room to stamp their little – or, indeed, large – characters on, creating their space transcends simple decorating: the bedroom becomes an expression of their whole world and a retreat from the shared spaces in the rest of the house. Children’s bedrooms have long served as gateways to faraway kingdoms redolent of magic and adventure – such as C S Lewis’ Narnia or J M Barrie’s Neverland – as well as being safe cocoons in which to listen to an imagination-firing bedtime…

There is nothing like a vase of flowers to bring spontaneity and colour indoors, especially when they are picked from the garden. Homegrown flowers have a special appeal, a freshness and radiance not found in bought blooms. Best of all, for the equivalent cost of a couple of run-of-the-mill bouquets, anyone can buy a dozen packets of easy-going annuals, scatter the seeds on a warm spring day and, with minimal cossetting, look forward to cutting fresh flowers from summer into autumn. Annuals are amongst a wide range of perennials, shrubs, bulbs and climbing plants that add seasonal colour and interest to any garden, whilst also providing a steady stream of flowers and foliage. Many gardeners prefer to establish a dedicated cut-flower patch, either as part of a kitchen garden or…

Insights from the team diary... We are planning to visit the spring 2017 Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair, which runs from 4–9 April in Battersea Park, London. Last month we enjoyed a sneak preview of the launch of Royal Warrant holder Peter Reed’s new bedlinen collections, showcased at Ham Yard Hotel in London. Sophie Conran has kindly revealed her tips on hosting the perfect afternoon tea, whether for a celebration or a get-together with the girls. For details, visit theenglishhome.co.uk…

“Elegance is the only beauty that never fades.” Audrey Hepburn, British actress (1929–1993) There is a great deal to be said for the restorative power of pastel hues. Whilst lovers of vibrant colour garner inspiration from bold combinations, those drawn to the complex kaleidoscope of delicate shades find a soothing pleasure in tones that shift from delicate mint-green through to a whisper of blush pink. Such subtlety allows a playful ambivalence in the use of textures, patterns and fabrics — wallpaper prints can take on strong graphic choices, whilst carpets and flooring lend themselves to intricate designs and complex detailing. Here we consider the nuanced interplay between colour, texture and pattern in these stylish looks.…

PAINT One of my favourite hues is a custom-mixed shade – a striking, vivid blue inspired by the Paris apartment of fashion designer Madeleine Vionnet, the interior of which has been recreated in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Soft Truffle, a Dulux shade, is also useful. It is a neutral with just enough colour. We have used it at home to accent antique pieces. A RECENT NOTABLE PURCHASE A pair of mirrors I bought in Denmark from an old friend. They are large Louis XIV mirrors, circa 1710 (think Versailles), with the most exquisite carving and gilding. COMPANIES YOU ADMIRE I really love de Gournay. We have some of their papers in the galleries at Guinevere, customised so that some of the monkeys’ heads wittily feature the faces…

Though a functional room in its most basic sense, a bathroom can be so much more than the sum total of its essential components. Where better to wake up with an invigorating shower to prepare for the day ahead, or to while away the evening hours with a long hot soak, glass of wine in hand? Creating a retreat to suit a household’s needs requires careful consideration of form, function and individual taste. Whether classic or contemporary, cosy or sleek, the mood of a bathroom can provide sanctuary with a judicious selection of key elements and thoughtful finishing touches. Primping and preening over classic marble basins brings a refined note to morning proceedings, whilst reclining in a roll-top bath affords reflection at any time of day. Fittings and finishings are…

Brighter spring days prompt us to look afresh at our immediate surroundings, rekindling the desire to exchange cosy winter layers for a lighter, fresher feel. As the days lengthen and the air gets gently warmer, the allure of hunkering down in centrally heated surroundings is swiftly replaced by the desire to let in the light and a fresh spring breeze. Following the dark and dankness of an English winter, upholstery and soft furnishings can often seem tired and lacklustre, and much-loved pieces may benefit from a professional deep clean. Specialist expertise is a must, however, to ensure there is no risk of damage to precious items. Professional cleaning of antique clocks and intricate light fittings is needed only infrequently, and consequently it is easy to forget about altogether. This can…

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Lady Carnarvon lives at Highclere Castle in Hampshire with her husband, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, George (Geordie) Herbert, and their son Edward, 17. Whilst Highclere has been home to the Earls of Carnarvon and their forebears since 1679, the current incarnation was completed in 1842. It was remodelled and rebuilt by Sir Charles Barry, architect of the Palace of Westminster, at the behest of the 3rd Earl of Carnarvon. Grade I listed, Highclere comprises 5,000 acres and a park designed in the late eighteenth century by Capability Brown. It is perhaps best-known as the setting for the award-winning ITV drama Downton Abbey, as well as for the 5th Earl of Carnarvon who, together with Howard Carter, discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt in 1922. Do you live in all or…

For more than a thousand years, ticking was a multipurpose below-stairs kind of cloth. It was used for ladies’ corsets, army tents, butchers’ aprons and most of all to cover mattresses. Only in the last century did this go-to utility fabric begin to gain status. Now it is seen in designers’ shop windows the world over. Ticking takes its name from the Greek word theka, meaning ‘a cover’. It started being woven, with the black-and-white stripe we know so well, in the eleventh century, initially in Italy and Germany and eventually spreading across Europe, with Manchester becoming the source of most English tickings. Genuine ticking is a herringbone twill – a weave that travels crossways as well as down the cloth, packing in more threads than a plain weave. It…

Balmy breeze Luxuriant foliage and exotic blooms are recurrent themes in English interior design, particularly from the eighteenth century onwards. From the oriental influences captured in chinoiserie, featuring tropical birds and blossom (see page 20) to Indian crewel work and pretty Les Indiennes prints, the call of the exotic is something history sees designers drawn to again and again for luxuriously exuberant schemes. Palm leaves and ferns were celebrated in the glamour of art deco design during the interwar years. Such imagery re-emerged with panache during the 1970s, and today it is being notably reinterpretated again. It cannot be coincidence to see in this cycle that economic austerity is inextricably linked with an impetus towards a touch of the exotic. One might argue that times of social and economic uncertainty…

Complementing wood or stone flooring with a custom-made rug is a decorative option replete with possibility. “The benefit of a made-to-measure rug is that it can be made to the precise measurement, scale and colour required for the space,” says rug designer Jennifer Manners. “These details can be subtle, but the eye absorbs all of them in a space, although we may not consciously take it in. Getting the details just right adds to the sense of harmony and pleasure one feels in a space. This way, there is also the opportunity to create a statement rug and arrange the furniture around it, keeping it at the heart of the conversation.” Both warmth and noise insulation are undoubted advantages, too, together with the feasibility of transporting a cherished floorcovering in…

Those who have ever wanted to be masters or mistresses of their own destinies are in good company. Self-employment in the UK has risen to record levels in recent years – 4.6 million of us were working for ourselves in 2015, with the majority of new businesses being started from home. It makes perfect sense, of course. Being self-employed means it is easier to juggle family life – especially useful if you have young children or elderly relatives to care for. Basing a new business at home saves time, and stress, on the daily commute, and money on renting separate business premises. A few of the businesses that we admire that began this way include Not on the High Street.com, Fraser & Parsley, The White Company and Bluebellgray (pictured left).…

Abbott & Boyd Tel 020 7351 9985 abbottandboyd.co.uk Autentico Tel 01233 878303 autentico-chalk-paint.co.uk Cheville Tel 020 7183 6352 cheville.co.uk Decorative Country Living Tel 01400 273632 decorativecountryliving.com Design Studio V, & Veronique Hendrix-Veltink interior design Tel 01398 323695 designstudiov.co.uk George Smith Tel 020 7384 1004 georgesmith.co.uk Maison by Emma Jane Tel 01513 429345 maisonbyemmajane.co.uk Michael Nicholas Tel 020 7498 7755 michaelnicholasdesign.com Nest Interiors Tel 01392 204305 Pure & Original pure-original.com R & S Lighting Suppliers Tel 01313 442650 rs-robertson.co.uk Robert Charles Tel 01823 252433 kitchenssomerset.co.uk Rock Unique Tel 01959 565608 rock-unique.com Sandra Harris Interiors Tel 01244 409009 sandraharris.co.uk William Potts Tel 07899 894649 williampotts.co.uk…